Greenwashing, marketing ecologista y marketing ecológico: El caso de Mattel y Asia Pulp & Paper

Abstract

Greenwashing consists of the use of misleading advertising and other techniques to present companies as environmentally responsible while hiding their true environmental impact. In this article we contrast greenwashing with that of green marketing, which involves a real effort to integrate green values compatible with profit, and with ecologist marketing, carried out by environmental NGOs and often used to unmask the practices by greenwashing. We present the case study of Mattel and Asia Pulp & Paper, whose greenwashing practices were denounced by NGOs such as Greenpeace and WWF, and we describe how these allegations forced companies to undertake real green marketing actions. We conclude by showing the interrelationship between greenwashing and ecologist marketing and presenting ecological marketing as the most effective bet to guarantee the sustainability of both companies and the environment.